FIBA Americas Championship

Live from Las Vegas, Washington Post basketball writer Michael Lee was online Thursday, Aug. 30 at 2 p.m. ET to discuss the FIBA Americas Championship tournament, where NBA players including Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are leading the U.S. effort to qualify for the 2008 Olympics.

A transcript follows.

Read The Post's coverage of the tournament, and Michael's latest blog posts from Vegas.

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Michael Lee: Hey, everybody. Checking in on day 285 of the FIBA Americas Championship, the tournament that will never end. I just watched the United States beat some other South American team by 87 points last night (or is it this morning), and the story is getting a little old. It's been watching the same game every night - Team USA wins in rout! - but I must say it's been really awesome watching how committed these guys are to bringing back U.S. dominance to international basketball. No one really cares about this tourney since we don't get upset until the Olympics, or to a lesser extent the world championships. But this is a pretty good start for the red, white and blue. Argentina should be fun tonight, but I don't expect much more than another big win. I'm exhausted, but I thought I should share with you some of things I've seen. So, let's go. . .

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Rockville, Md.: Assuming the US team continues to roll, does this make Coach K a candidate for a pro team vacancy? As a Maryland alum, it pains me to say this, but he seems to have done what others before him have struggled to do, i.e., get a bunch of stars to think of the team first. How much of the team's success can be traced to Coach K?

Michael Lee: I think Coach K has done an excellent job of getting these guys to buy into playing defense and playing together. It's usually a challenge having to manage so many egos, but I think he is fortunate to have a group of guys who are really committed to being a part of a gold medal winning team. These are hungry and players like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are out to prove that they can win do better than bronze each time they enter an international competition. You have Kobe who may never come close to winning anything as big as a gold medal again.

As for him being in the pros, the players here have been making glowing comments about Coach K. They really enjoy working with him. He holds these guys accountable. Case in point: In a game against Puerto Rico, Michael Redd airballed an ill-advised three-pointer and got yanked the next dead ball.

I don't think he wants to be in the NBA. He had an interesting quote in the LA Times about his flirtation with the Lakers in 2004. I make a decision, I don't look back. I've been married 38 years and I don't write to my old girlfriends. It was an honor and I thank them for giving me that opportunity. I'm 60 years old. I'm going to do what I do at Duke and I am not going to coach in the pros. Besides coaching college basketball, I love Duke. I just love the university. It was too much to give up."

It's a lot easier coaching some determined all-stars as opposed to the Atlanta Hawks. He's been handed the keys to a Lamborghini, and all he has to do is make sure that he doesn't pull a Lance Briggs.

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Arlington, Va.: Hey Mike -- do you think Gilbert could have found a place on the team, or do they have so much firepower he would be redundant?

Michael Lee: I don't know given the way this team has been constructed. I really don't see where Gilbert fits. Judging by some of the struggles Kobe has had on offense trying to adjust to the international game, I'm wondering what Gilbert would be able to do better. Gilbert isn't necessarily a player who can perform at a high level without the ball in his hands.

On this team, in this system, he would need to either be a pure point like Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups or a pure shooter like Michael Redd. Gilbert is a talented scorer, one the best in the league, but this team has enough offense in Carmelo, LeBron and Kobe.

I'm not saying Gilbert couldn't fit, I just think it would be hard. Even harder for him to get over having to play for Coach K.

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Hyattsville, Md.: I think its absurd that people spend so much time nitpicking the team's play, when there largest problem has always been retention. In '03, the team blew through the qualifying tournament, but only three of those guys came back for '04. Should we be concerned that a similar thing will happen this time? How good will this team be next summer if god forbid, Kobe and Kidd don't play again?

Michael Lee: I agree with you that retention is the key. I remember that 2003 team and it was awesome. It had Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Elton Brand, Ray Allen and Jason Kidd and obliterated the competition in Puerto Rico. The next summer, guys started getting stomach cramps, hang nails and every other ailment you can imagine. It was quite terrible. USA Basketball had to scramble and send whatever players were willing to go to Athens - and finished third.

But I would suspect that the team you see in Las Vegas will essentially be the team you see in Beijing (yes, I'm assuming the U.S. qualifies), with the exception of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson possibly replacing Mike Miller, Deron Williams and Tyson Chandler. Since Jerry Colangelo actually established a program that required a three-year commitment, I can't see too many guys backing out.

But if Kobe and Kidd aren't around next summer, I'd be concerned. Those guys will not allow the U.S. to lose. As good as LeBron and Carmelo have been, they've lost in international play before.

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Washington, D.C.: A lot has been made, including by you in today's blog post, that this is LeBron's coming out party (as though dragging the Cavs to the Finals wasn't enough...). Do you see his improved game carrying over to next year? And has there been any ego clashes between him, 'Mello and Kobe?

Michael Lee: To answer your question, I have not seen any problems with egos on this team. Guys have bought into the system and put aside their status to go after the gold. LeBron, Kobe and Carmelo share the ball with each other and players aren't griping about shots and minutes - at least publicly. Dwight Howard is the only player to openly say that he will worry about scoring in the regular season.

As for James, I the growth that he is showing in this tournament is a direct carryover from last year. Getting swept out of the NBA Finals can be pretty humbling and when he looks and sees Cleveland do absolutely nothing this offseason, James realizes that he has to elevate his game to keep the Cavs among the elite in the East. So long as he stays healthy - and that's a big key since he's hasn't had any summers off since his rookie year - there should be a carryover.

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Alexandria, Va.: Is tonight's game on TV?

Michael Lee: Yes, the game against Argentina is on ESPN2 - at midnight! If you don't mind being groggy at work tomorrow, I say stay awake to watch it. I think the U.S. wins by 20 or so, but it will probably be the closest thing to a competitive game until these teams likely meet again on Sunday in the Final. It's pretty lame that these games tip off so late, though. I know they have the U.S. playing last to get better crowds here, but the crowds in Vegas have been awful.

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Baltimore: How has Greivis Vasquez looked (leaving aside what Kobe did to him)?

Michael Lee: I don't think Kobe DID anything to him. I mean he was all over him defensively, but Vasquez didn't back down. He went at Kobe all night, even exchanged a few shoves with him, and led Venezuela in scoring that night. I was actually impressed with the toughness he displayed against the player considered the best in the game.

Overall, he's looked . . . young. He's had his moments where he's looked pretty solid offensively, but his decision-making and passing have been questionable at times. He's had at least five turnovers in four of his first seven games.

Venezuela has just one win in this tournament, but I think Vasquez is getting a valuable lesson here. He's the youngest starter and should be improved when he gets back against players his own age.

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San Francisco, Calif.: The crowds seem sparse. Some of the NBA summer leage games seemed to draw more support. Is there any interest in Vegas in this Tournament? Or is it too early to tell?

Michael Lee: No, there isn't any interest in this tournament. They'd rather hit the craps table than watch LeBron dunk, rather play poker than watch Kobe play defense, rather hear Celine Dion that watch Carmelo score almost every time he touches the ball.

I'm shocked that a team with LeBron, Kobe, Carmelo, Amare Stoudemire and Jason Kidd can't get more than 4,000-6,000 people a night. But I heard that the attendance was bad in Indiana for the world championships in 2002. I don't think Americans like to watch foreign teams play our game. And, there are enough big names on the opposing teams to make these games worthwile to these fans I guess. It's pretty sad, though.

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Bowie, Md.: Wasn't this tournament originally scheduled to be played in Venezuela? Why/how did it get switched to Vegas? Not that I'm complaining, as I think playing at "home" has helped the U.S. despite the poor crowds.

Michael Lee: I think playing at "home" has helped the U.S. get so many players to come out. The tournament was originally scheduled to be in Venezuela, but the Venezuelans were late making the necessary payments to FIBA. Las Vegas and Puerto Rico battled for the event, but Vegas won out. I would've preferred Puerto Rico (I'm not really a Vegas guy).

But given American relations with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, I cannot imagine how many guys would've got the measles or something before this tournament began.

Jumping back to the earlier question about retention. I think a major reason why so many of these guys will be back is because they have business interests in China. What's wrong with getting a few more billion fans, ya know?

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Detroit: Neither USA Today nor our local press has given much more than final scores of the FIBA Americas games. Where can I go for a composite box score?

Michael Lee: Go to these websites: http://www.2007lasvegas.fibaamericas.com and http://www.usabasketball.com

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Baltimore: Hey Michael,

How come marginal international players in the NBA (Arroyo and Baptista last night) can't come off the bench, but when they're with the international squad, dominate or play very well against our team? However, with that being said, I think this version of USA Basketball is awesome, the best in a while. I especially like the strong PG play that we've been lacking in recent years. Deron Williams proved this last season and with this recent stint that he's a big time PG, a future Jason Kidd (with a slightly better jumper). I hope he makes the team next summer.

Michael Lee: Well, you have to understand that this is a different game. Being able to play in the NBA doesn't always translate to being productive in international ball and vice versa. That's why you see so many foreign players struggle initially in the NBA and why you've seen NBA playes struggle in the Olympics and world championships. We play a lot of one-on-one and isolation while they share the ball, spread the floor and play zone defense. The tempo of the game is also much different because the NBA is so much faster and high scoring (contrary to the belief of some, games in Europe are low scoring and often boring).

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Sacramento, Calif.: As a Duke grad, I've had a front row standing space for many Coach K led victories but also for a few of his ego boosting episodes (flirting with the Lakers (in part to show his power to the new university president), questioning student support when less than a packed arena shows up for Duke vs. Nobody the week before finals, making certain that he has an office above his incompetent friend -- the AD, let the court be named the Coach K court while still coaching, etc.) Clearly, he is not motivated by the money, or else he would have gone to the Lakers. And he has had more than his fair share of surgeries. I'm wondering, how much longer does he coach before turning the team over to Johnny Dawkins? Is there any chance he might retire and become the long term coach of Team USA? It's got to be less of a grind then coaching college and dealing with high school prima donnas and their handlers (look at recent results, in terms of luring top players and keeping them for four years -- the game has changed, can it still be as rewarding?). Do you think this transition will happen?

Michael Lee: Wow, that was an excellent question, but I'm sorry, I haven't been able to speak with Coach K about any of these issues that you've addressed. I do not claim to be an expert on everything related to Duke or Coach K, since I don't watch the college game all of the time. I wish I had the answer. Maybe if this wasn't the worst accessibility of any event I've ever covered, I could spend some time with him to ask some of those questions. I apologize. I don't have those answers for you today.

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Rockville, Md.: Given that the core of superstars on this team is still fairly young, how much better do you think they can be next summer?

Also, assuming Wade comes back and plays next year and there isn't anyone else missing due to injury, what is his role on the team?

Michael Lee: They should be even better next summer. Look at how great Carmelo and LeBron have been this summer. That's because they have some humbling experiences and learned how to adjust to the international game. With that said, imagine how good Kobe will be next summer now that he has started to learn what to do in international competition. The international game isn't easy. I remember when Tim Duncan made his infamous, "FIBA [stinks]," comment after the 2004 Olympics. Since these guys have had time to improve and develop some comraderie, they should be the favorite to win the gold in Beijing.

Wade's role will be much the same as it was last year. Remember, he came off the bench in the world championships. Can you imagine putting in a second unit of Dwyane Wade, Chauncey Billups, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire and Michael Redd? That's pretty, pretty good.

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Baltimore: Hey Mike are you going to try to keep up with the European Championships that begin next week...I think that tournament it going to be incredibly competitive.

Michael Lee: I'll keep track of it, but I don't think I'll follow it too closely. I might check out the FIBA website from time to time, but being here to watch basketball for 752 days straight has been a bit draining.

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Michael Lee: Thanks to everybody who had a question for me. I'm sorry I wasn't able to get to everyone, but I really have to run. I haven't had much sleep here, but I still have to write a story for tomorrow's paper then get my tail to the arena to watch USA vs. Argentina. It's been fun, people. Peace.

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